Eltham CC

Match Report

Match report Eltham CC Vs Ashurst CC

And so to the third day (second match) of the 2011 tour.....

An upbeat touring party awoke to murky, gloomy, drizzly, quite frankly, horrible conditions for playing cricket; although to be fair, the forecasters had predicted it.

So the team assembled at the 'picturesque' surroundings of Ashurst CC, fresh from victory with the addition of two pairs of 'fresh legs' in the form of Mssrs Jones and Redman. With some doubts over the weather, a sensible reduction to a 30 over match was decided upon and, in light misty drizzle, the Eltham team took to the field. The weather was miserable, even the ponies seemed to go into hiding after Asjad had helped chase them away, 'aeroplane style'.

Webber and Swain opened up and, without much luck and with the ball resembling a bar of soap, the Ashurst total grew quickly. The skipper, Bulpitt, turned to Wouldham to stem the flow of runs and with the aid of Webber's boots was rewarded with the wickets of Park and Bates. However, with the Eltham fielders growing wearier by the minute in the persistent drizzle, the total continued to rise. A brave spell from Jones, some variety from Bulpitt, followed by Webber completing his 6 overs, concluded the Ashurst innings at 177 for 5. Rather more than expected but well within reach after the glorious chase of 224 the previous day.

After a quick cup of tea, a piece of cake and an end to the drizzle, Mir and Fisher strode to the wicket. A couple of scoring shots later, the curse of poor calling/not listening/bad judgement (take your pick) returned and Mir was on his way back to the pavilion. Shortly (no jokes!!) followed by Fisher who made it four run outs in two days. Swain's run of bad fortune continued, which left Wouldham and Bulpitt to steady the ship. Batting well and looking set for a big score each, the Eltham team relaxed again. Two LBWs later and a duck for Page, the Eltham innings was in tatters and the prospect of another defeat started to loom large. Despite a useful 22 from Bill, the run rate was too great and the innings closed on 144 for 9.

Hugely disappointing after the joy of the game at Sway, but after a few beers and an enjoyable meal at the Premier Inn, we looked forward to sunnier weather at Mudeford.